Monday, March 13, 2023

Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #1 Review

      



Written by: G. Willow Wilson, Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad
Art by: Cian Tormey, Alitha Martinez, Mark Morales, John Livesay
Colors by: Jordie Bellaire, Alex Guimaràes
Letters by: Pat Brosseau, Becca Carey
Cover art by: Guillem March
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: March 14, 2023

Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #1 finds Wonder Woman and her allies contending with the gods' from all cultures re-asserting their rule over Earth and demanding worship.
Is It Good?

Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #1 is interesting. It's unclear why this is a Lazarus Planet title since the main story has nothing to do with Lazarus Planet. Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #1 is simply a continuation of Wonder Woman #796. If you feel compelled to pick this issue up for the juicy Lazarus Planet goodness, rethink your strategy.

When last we left Wonder Woman and her amazing friends, they fought Eros and a Titan to a stalemate. Hera, now allied with Mamaragan, killed Zeus and took over the throne of Olympus.

Ancient gods of all cultures emerge to strike fear into humanity and demand worship. Taking a page from Gaiman's American Gods, the gods worldwide are dying due to a lack of faith from worshipers, so the coordinated effort is intended to restore the gods' power and return humanity to a state of worshipful subjugation. Wonder Woman reluctantly visits Hera to plead a case for peace, where she learns a dangerous truth that leads to a life-altering decision for Diana.

What you can do with a Wonder Woman comic is fantastic when you have a capable writer at the helm. G. Willow Wilson delivers an intriguing story with dramatic heft, emotional weight, a shocking revelation with big implications, and a final moment that could change Wonder Woman's status quo forever (or at least for a few issues). I like this story, and I'm curious to see where it goes, which we haven't experienced in a Wonder Woman comic in a long time.

The Nubia-centric backup, written by Cloonan and Conrad, is the same quality you've expected from Wonder Woman comics over the last several years. Make of that what you will.

A YouTube influencer decides to film himself exploring Themyscira after the island suddenly becomes visible. The male interlopers are dealt with, but not in the way you think, teasing a new player on the scene.

Filed with obnoxious Influencer dialog and typical Themysciran hand-wringing by Nubia (because being queen apparently means no decision is made without meeting first), the only value in this backup is learning Themysira is exposed. A single page in the main story could have conveyed the same point (and worked better) without an irritating backup and a higher cover price.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces:

Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #1 is a surprisingly solid Wonder Woman story that bears out the full scale of events from Wonder Woman #796. Don't let the title fool you, this issue has nothing to do with Lazarus Planet, but the main story is good enough to set the stage for major developments concerning Wonder Woman in her regular series.

7.5/10

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